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Huntington Beach native Casey Wheat inducted into Surfers’ Hall of Fame

Steve Wheat, father of Surfers' Hall of Fame inductee Casey Wheat, speaks at a ceremony.
Steve Wheat, father of Surfers’ Hall of Fame inductee Casey Wheat, speaks about his son during a ceremony at the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in Huntington Beach on Friday. The younger Wheat passed away in May of 2020.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)
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The waves were ripping on the northside of the Huntington Beach Pier on Friday morning.

These were the kind of the ideal conditions that Huntington Beach native Casey Wheat, who all but lived on the northside, definitely would have appreciated.

Wheat, who died in May 2020 at the age of 49, was inducted into the Surfers’ Hall of Fame. About 200 people gathered across from Pier Plaza, in front of Huntington Beach Surf & Sport, for the ceremony.

A paddle-out in Wheat’s honor will happen sometime this month, Surfers’ Hall of Fame founder Aaron Pai said, when the conditions are right.

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Normally surfers would put their handprints into the cement. On Friday, Wheat’s father Steve, mother Bonita and girlfriend Olivia Kao each wrote messages to the late Casey.

“C U Soon, dad,” Steve Wheat wrote, while Bonita wrote, “Forever mine, mom.” Kao wrote, “I’m in, I love you always.”

HBHS surfing coach Andy Verdone talks about his former student and Surfers' Hall of Fame inductee Casey Wheat on Friday.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Casey Wheat was known as a colorful personality who made an impact in the surfing world through the formation of the West Coast Board Riders Club. In 2015 Wheat teamed up with lifelong friends Ziggy Williams and Chris Moreno to found the apparel brand SOFKY, which stands for Sport of Kings, Forever Young.

Kao quoted one of Casey Wheat’s favorite musicians, Prince, during her speech — “Compassion is an action word with no boundaries.”

Wheat’s compassion was the reason why some called him, “The People’s Champ,” she said.

“Compassion is an action all humans are capable of, but for Casey, it was an innate passion for him to act with compassion and empathy as a way of life,” Kao said. “No matter where a person came from, he made it a point to show kindness and respect to all, even to folks who weren’t quite his cup of tea. He was the kind of guy that would go the distance for anyone that needed help.”

Messages left in concrete by family members during the induction of Casey Wheat into the Surfers' Hall of Fame.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Wheat, who died of an accidental fentanyl overdose, was 6 feet 3 and rail thin. The 1988 Huntington Beach High School graduate helped the Oilers surf team win the national title in his senior year.

That was the first year that current coach Andy Verdone took over the program. Verdone remembered Wheat as a personality, who loved hip-hop music and had a unique fashion sense.

“He was like an NBA star stepping off a bus,” Verdone said Friday at the ceremony. “Dude, he could dance, he could hold a crowd. He’d hold court like none other.”

Mayor Kim Carr painted Wheat’s Surf City roots during her remarks, pointing out that his great-grandfather was the original owner of the Golden Bear nightclub downtown. His grandparents owned and operated the beachside snack shacks and rental shops now known as Zack’s and Zack’s Too.

Many others from the surf community also were there to honor their friend. So was Judge Otis Wright, who Steve Wheat credited for his compassion in dealing with his son during earlier legal issues.

Steve Wheat, left, father of Surfers' Hall of Fame inductee Casey Wheat, with Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr on Friday.
(Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

Pai said he remembers paddling out with Steve and Casey Wheat back in the day, when Casey was just a grom.

“He grew into a teenager, and he was so eloquent as far as his surfing,” Pai said. “His barrel riding was like second to none. Then he grew into a man, and his barrel riding and surfing got even better and more eloquent.

“The guy is a legend, a northside legend. He had a style all of his own.”

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